This section is concluded by a “better” saying with a numerical theme. Having described two opposite situations (verse 4 speaking of rivalry leading to greater skill, and verse 5 illustrating the effects of laziness), Qoheleth now gives his concluding advice. Like many wisdom sayings, this proverb is ironic. It says something we would not expect, and overturns some traditional values. Context will determine which value is the higher one.

Better is a handful of quietness: for those who think that the more we have the better off we are, Qoheleth reminds us that it is not always so. He suggests that “one” is actually more valuable than “two” when “one” is superior in quality. Quietness or “rest” is not to be confused with laziness. Quietness is a positive value, for it can refresh a person and is necessary for mental health. That is not to say that quietness is always better, because work and toil are also necessary. Revised English Bible suggests “one hand full, along with peace of mind.”

Than two hands full of toil: although toil in Qoheleth is generally a positive occupation, there are some circumstances under which work is less good than rest. This happens when toil and work become burdensome, or when we strive for something beyond our power. This latter meaning is the sense conveyed by the phrase and a striving after wind. (See comments on 1.14 for translation.)

A handful is not the measure we normally use for quietness or toil, so we need to address the question of the precise relationship between “handful” and “toil” or “quietness.” Gordis maintains that “quietness” is actually an adverbial phrase describing how the hand becomes full. He would translate as “a handful gained by quietness,” meaning that a person fills one hand with what he needs without overexertion. Similarly, “two hands full of toil” he would interpret as “two hands full gained by toil.” Good News Translation and New American Bible both reflect this kind of interpretation. So before translating we need to determine the meaning; is Qoheleth’s main concern to describe how much is gained, or does he stress how we gain those amounts? If we examine other similar sayings in Proverbs (for example, Pro 17.1 “a dry morsel eaten in quietness” is compared to a “feast where there is strife”), the pattern suggests that “quietness” and “toil” in verse 6 describe the ways in which the hand gets to be filled. Therefore the following example is offered for translators to consider:

• Better is one handful gained quietly [or, without stress], than two hands full gained by toiling. That is like trying to shepherd the wind.

Alternatively we can use a more general word than “handful” because it is primarily a measure word. “One measure” and “two measures” will serve well. Though it is preferable to retain the Hebrew’s numerical theme (“one” and “two”), in some languages it may be necessary to abandon the metaphor altogether:

• It is better to gain a little without too much effort than to gain a lot by overworking. Overworking is as useless as trying to control the wind.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .